Alcoa sued by former worker for damages

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A Geelong metal worker is suing his former employer for damages, claiming he developed severe asthma while working in the company's aluminium mill for 15 years.

A County Court jury heard yesterday that Erick McKenna was an outstanding employee who worked in Alcoa's ingot mill at the Point Henry plant between 1980 and 1995 until industrial asthma forced his retirement at the age of 44.

Mr McKenna's lawyer, David Curtain, QC, said his client contracted the illness when he came into contact with chemical compounds and gases released in the smelting and manufacturing of aluminium.

"He was working in areas of intense heat and in areas where there were a lot of fumes," Mr Curtain said.

"You will hear that the protective measures taken by his employer fell far short of what a reasonable employer should have done."

Mr Curtain said Mr McKenna was once an active man. Now he was confined to home, reading and watching TV.

"He feels like he's been robbed of a significant part of his life," he said. "He is a man who feels he should be working and wishes he was working."

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The jury heard that Mr McKenna, 53, of Corio, suffers from asthma, breathlessness and loss of lung function and requires a variety of treatments.

Mr McKenna said fumes inhaled at work often stung his nose and burnt his throat. "Some days it was just difficult to get out of bed and go and eat breakfast," he said. "I did not have any energy to do anything."

The court heard Alcoa would say Mr McKenna was a smoker who did not report his illness at the time and failed to take compulsory lung function tests while with the company. Lawyers for Alcoa would also allege that Mr McKenna failed to get medical treatment in a timely fashion.